Archive for the Aria Category


Aria the Natural, Part 1 Anime Boxset (English)

April 26th, 2009

I need to say this first, because I am sick and tired of getting nasty emails, comments and blogposts from people who have no grip on reality. I do NOT think that Aria is Yuri. Many other people who are not me do. I review Aria as Yuri because the *other* fans  insist on seeing all sorts of couples in the mostly all-female cast, since so often they talk to each other, or are in the same frame. They even touch once in a while, so clearly there’s sex involved, in the eyes of this group.

I *do* enjoy imagining a relationship between Alicia and Akira. That is the only Yuri I have ever seen in this series and I am completely honest about the fact that I have wholly made it up in my head, encouraged only by Raku-Gun and Crush doujinshi. So please, stfu about me ruining Aria for you because I had the nerve to call it a Yuri series. If me calling a series Yuri pisses you off, then its probably a bad idea to read this blog since it is a *Yuri* blog and covers many things that other people who are not you think of as Yuri.

Moving on….

Unless you have your Yuri goggles on very, very high, you’re not going to see much Yuri in Aria the Natural, Part 1 boxset. What you will find is a story about a young woman who finds joy in the smallest things of everyday life. And by moving so slowly that she has time to see and enjoy these things, she brings the people around her into her world full of wonder and beauty – whether they want to or not. I believe that that is, in part, the reason why so many of the fans of this series are otherwise absurdly cynical people, with nothing specific to be angry at, so they rail at me, or The Man, or whatever, without actually doing anything about anything. Akari’s “my pace” attitude and appreciation for everything – bugs, bread, hats, weather – forces us to slow down and at least take a look at what she’s looking at, even if we don’t appreciate it as much as she does.

As with the previous Aria boxset, Right Stuf does a nice job on reproduction and translation, managing to communicate Al’s old man puns and Akari’s wide-eyed perspective uniquely. And although I did not order the set from them directly, I’m told that the extras for direct pre-order are way fun – in this case, an Aria-shachou squeeze toy. (Thanks to Sean for ruining it forever reporting on it with this line, “Hollowed out, it’s the most amusing condom ever!”) Unlike the first season box set, the extras for these disk live on a separate disk of their own and are entirely worth watching, if you care about such things as staff and VA interviews, trailer videos and the like – which I enjoy, no matter how insipid the comments. An Episode Guide Booklet is included as a physical extra for the set, as well.

Nevertheless, there are some scenes that will be imagined as Yuri. Alice’s shadow-hopping episode was very popular with Alice x Athena ‘shippers, for one. In my opinion, the hottest romance in the series is Aika and Al. ^_^

Of course, the number one reason I watch Aria is not Yuri, real or imagined, it’s the scenery porn; the love in our eyes with which we gaze at the shadow in St. Mark’s Plaza, a meteor shower, a street vendor making dolls dance or the evening sun shining on Venetian glass. It’s this that makes Aria worth watching and rewatching. And if your love of the series is affected by anyone’s opinion then you’ve missed the entire point of wearing Akari-colored glasses.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 8
Yuri – 1
Service – 3

Overall – 8

Many many thanks to new Okazu Hero Tricolor Cavy for sponsoring today’s review! I have enjoyed not only the hours it has taken me to rewatch this anime, but also the renewed appreciation it gives me every time for the simple joys of my real life. Thank you.





Aria Anime, Volume 2 (English)

December 12th, 2008

You know *that* moment? That one second when you’re watching an anime and something makes you grin lopsidedly and nod to no one in particular, saying sagely to yourself, “I knew it.”

Volume 2 of Aria has one of those moments. ^_^

The days pass gently in Neo-Venezia, full of stories of challenges and friendship and of course, backed by beautiful scenery.

In Volume 2, we’ve been introduced to all of the journeyman Undine, and we’re getting to know their mentors a little better. Five seconds of Akira’s no-nonsense, in-your-face competence and your gaydar is through the roof. You know it. She’s “one of us.” ^_^

And then there’s *that* moment. Akira, having been described as being popular with female customers, blatantly turns her overwhelming otokoyaku charm on a client, subtlely making her husband appear a clod, and yet, being nothing but attentive. Akira, according to the book that accompanies this box set, “is one of the few Undines that can always provide a superior level of service to her clients.” Especially, we think, wearing a lopsided grin, her female clients. The story is about tough love and living in the now. And about how gosh-darn sexy Akira is when she’s angry.

Aside from that, this volume provides an unusual opportunity to wallow in the company of the Three Faries of the Water and even hear Athena sing – all very, very good reasons to watch this anime. But the number one reason is to watch any of Aria is the beautiful scenery, both architectural and human. This, more than just about any other series I have ever seen, is all about bishoujo appeal.

And, at least for this one female client, the best of the Three Fairies is the Crimson Rose. I would totally agree that she provides superior service. lol

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 7
Yuri – 3
Service – 1

Overall – 8

Once again, thanks to Okazu superhero Dan P for sponsoring today’s review! (And, btw, if you are considering sponsoring a review, by buying something off the Yuri Wishlist, consider getting a “used” copy – especially of the older, and more obscure items. And thanks!)





Aria Anime, Volume 1 (English)

November 4th, 2008

Welcome to the world of Aqua. As the Earth (now know as Manhome) becomes overrun with technology, and barran of life, humankind has spread out onto a terraformed Mars, transforming it into a preserve of culture and life from Earth’s past.

Venice is no longer, but Neo-Venezia stands ready, with beautiful girls taking the place of burly male gondoliers. For one journeyman gondoliera, life is a slow, gentle passage through days of wonder, beauty and friends.

This is the plot, such as it is, of Aria.

Nothing happens, as every reviewer ever has noticed, but it doesn’t happen so lightly, so gently and with such lovely scenery that it’s not like we feel the need to rush. A cup of coffee, maybe an almond pastry and a volume of Aria will do for the afternoon.

In Volume 1, we meet our protagonist Akari of Aria Company and watch as she befriends (in a totally non-Nanoha way) her peer and rival, Himeya’s heir Aika, their mentors, two of the most famed undine of Neo-Venezia, Alicia and Akira, and a young, genius apprentice, Alice. Along with this crowd we meet some of the other people in Akari’s neighborhood, the people she meets each day. And while I am being slightly silly likening this cast to the puppets of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood the feeling of gentle fantasy isn’t all that ridiculously different.

As with all their work, this English subtitled edition from Right Stuf is top notch. The video extra follows the crew around Venice as they tour the world they are recreating. I have never been to Venice, so it was nice to see that some of the more whimsical locations are, in fact, completely real. But this volume does not stay still in one place. We follow Akari as she learns about some of the history of the Aqua planet, and we see that although Venice maybe recreated here, it is not without its own stories of love and loss apart from those of the city that we’re familiar with.

Yuri in Volume 1 is largely in the form of Aika’s crush on Alicia, and my own completely-made-up-with-the-help-of-Yuri-goggles relationship between Akira and Alicia. Yes, I know it’s not real. I don’t care. lol I said it before and I’ll say it again, definitely worth watching. No mecha, no rape, no “Story A,” just nice.

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters – 7
Yuri – 3
Service – 1

Overall – 8

My deep, abiding thanks today goes out to Dan P. (We’ll call him “Super Dan” from now on) for sponsoring today’s and so many other day’s reviews. For your support, your kindness, your generosity and your emails that make me laugh, thank you Dan for being an Okazu superhero! To become an Okazu superhero just visit my Yuri Wishlist and purchase anything on it. You’ll gain instant recognition as a hero and the eternal appreciation of the Okazu audience.





Aria Manga, Volume 11

January 22nd, 2008

Today’s review is based on the thinnest possible excuse. When we actually get there, you’re going to be like, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” ^_^;

I picked up Aria, Volume 11 while in Tokyo, and along with it, a copy of the Aria the Natural Vocal Song Collection. If you are already a fan of the series, I recommend the Vocal Collection highly. It’s is a lovely way to be reminded of random scenes and moments, and especially fabulous bits of scenery, while somewhere not near a TV or computer screen. There’s nothing wrong with having Athena singing in your ear, let me tell you. ;-)

Every single scene in Volume 11 is an indication that the series is drawing to a close. This was obvious even in Volume 10 and, more recently, news that the series is ending was released officially. But really, if you’ve been paying attention, it comes as no surprise at all.

Our young undine-in-training, Aika, Akari and Alice are all thinking about the inevitable day when they will face their examinations for Prima rank. Aika, particularly, is stressing out over her comparative lack of exceptional skills. Alice is clearly superior to her sempai in boatcraft, and Akari has brilliant people skills. Aika can’t imagine that she brings anything to the mix. When she arrives back home at Hime-ya, she finds Akira in the middle of cleaning. Akira recognizes pre-exam jitters when she sees them, and tells the story of when she was suffering from the exact same crisis of identity Aika is now undergoing. Her story involved a plot complication I usually find tedious – that of one character being given a flower by another when they were both younger – but in this case alone, it actually works. Since Akira was training at Hime-ya, it stands to reason that she would run into lil’ Aika from time to time. This once, I will allow it. ^_^

There is a lovely chapter where we revisit the “Wedding of the Sea” ritual, with full-blown scenery porn, and what would make a spectacular poster of the three Fairies of the Water, should it ever be reproduced in color.

The end chapters follow Alice as she graduates from middle school. At last, we arrive at the incredibly thin slice of Yuri I mentioned! On her way out of the school gates for the last time, Alice is approached by a underclassman who has apparently always admired her, and is asked for the second button of her school blazer. Let me point out that this is a co-ed school, so perhaps it is unusual to ask that favor from a female upperclassman, perhaps it is not. (You know that one, right? You ask for the button as a memento from an upperclassman that you like. In a sense, it’s admitting that you had a crush.) But the girl does get all squeal-y and loved-dovey happy when she receives the button, so it’s at least a solid expression of crushiness. That’s pretty much it, but it was a sweet little moment.

To congratulate Alice on her graduation, Athena takes her on a picnic, but asks Alice to steer. We treated to more scenery porn and, if we’ve been paying any kind of attention at all, we recognize the places they visit.

I don’t want to spoil the end of the volume. Therefore, if you know what follows smile knowingly, but do *not* type it in the comments field. I am choosing to not spoil on purpose. If you do not know what happened and want to, feel free to buy the volume and find out (don’t forget the Vocal Collection, too) – it’s *totally* worth it! One of the finest moments in the whole series to date. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 7
Characters – 8
Yuri – 2
Service – 3 (some Akari sleepwear and skin and the usual bishoujo stuff)

Overall – 8

Of course I’m sad that the series is coming to an end, but I’m also glad to see it doing so with such dignity and joy.





Aqua Manga, Volume 1 (English)

November 8th, 2007

Before I launch into today’s review, I have another news item of interest that I want to add to yesterday’s news.

English manga guru and editor of Manga: The Complete Guide, Jason Thompson, has named Yuri Monogatari 5 one of the hottest translated mangaof the autumn. Thanks Jason! We think so too.

Okay, so on to today’s review!

Aqua was the predecessor to Aria and is pretty much exactly the same, only a little less refined. This volume is the first of the “new” Aria volumes by Tokyopop. I can’t say I was hugely impressed. I admit to having some actual expectations of quality for this volume, so when I got it, I was disappointed. See – there’s that thing about expectations, again. Not having them makes everything so much easier.

The story of Aqua Volume 1, is delightful, whimsical and fluffy – exactly what one expects from another sojourn on the planet Aqua and the in city of Neo-Venezia, specifically. Volume 1 follows the ironically named Mizunashi Akari as she travels to Aqua to take up a position as a gondolier-in-training at Aria Company, and her adventures once she gets there. For a previous look at the story, here is my review of Aqua in Japanese.

Yuri is confined to Aika’s raging case of akogare. As this is the beginning of the story, her case is a bit more persistent and crushy than it will later become. If you were to read this first, you could easily be half-convinced that Aika’s pretty far gone. It’s a cute, classic “schoolgirl crush”-type crush. ^_^

For the story and characters – I agree with most other reviewers, Aqua is great. But technically…

Aside from the not very attractive new logo for Aqua, the cover of this volume is also burdened by the cover art used for the second release in Japan – a picture I really just don’t like. The first cover was ever so much more attractive. I know it’s just me being old and grumpy – but the picture makes me feel like my eyes won’t focus right.

The reproduction of the color pages in black and white is simply *bad*. Very, very bad. And the reproduction quality for the entire volume fades in and out without rhyme or reason. Maybe it was a printer error, maybe it was something else, but it irked me. Alot. I’ve had similar problems putting together the Yuri Monogatari series, but I’m working with multiple artists and systems, and varying levels of understanding about DPI and format. Tokyopop wasn’t. So what was the deal?

My only other complaint is just me being a total asshole. ^_^ (Hey, why should today be any different?) The preview at the back of the book, which is titled Aqua, Volume 2, is inexplicably actually a preview for Aria, Volume 1. I guess the editor hadn’t read the manga and wasn’t familiar with the actual story. But I was kind of surprised that that wasn’t caught.

Now, the thing that Tokyopop was trumpeting about the new acquisition and the eventual release of their own editions of Aria 1-3, was the new and improved translation. I had no problem with the original ADV translation, but that’s probably because I wasn’t paying attention. I read those first volumes in English once – a million years ago it feels like – and haven’t looked at them again.

I will give TP total props for leaving in all the honorifics. That was great. It was so great that I never even noticed that they were there, because I was just reading the story, not squicking at “Miss Alicia” and the like. So total thumbs up for that, TP. In asshole mode once more, I didn’t much like the font they chose for the words – and you know, I’m not sure I ever really felt that strongly about a font before. There was just something about this one. My last completely absurd LFG complaint is that, while I understand completely that they had to change some things to differentiate from the ADV translation, changing “embarrassing lines are prohibited” to whatever it was that they used just to make sure it was different, felt forced and awkward. AND they were changing the meaning of the words, which is unforgivable. Use “embarrassing lines are forbidden!” or something, if you must. But again, that’s me doing that LFG thing where if it’s not exactly the way we want it, we fans lay on the ground and kick and scream until we get a lollipop. ^_^

Objectively, if one had no expectations, Tokyopop did a fine job, with the exception of the rendering of the color pages. Those were just…bad. As an adaptation from the Japanese, linguistically is volume is good, but technically not so much.

Ratings:

Art – 6
Characters – 7
Story – 7
Yuri – 2
Service – 1

Translation – 8
Reproduction – 4

Overall – 6

For my part, I’m probably going to give this volume to the library and stick with the original Japanese volumes when I want to spend some time with Akari and the crew.